Myth
by bluejay
Summary: The team investigates a recent spate of missing children in Happy Harbor. They figure it to be a case of serial kidnappings, but no one expected the truth. Written with shinas1st for the Ultimate Collab Challenge.
1. Conner

A/N: Done for this month's Ultimate Collab Challenge, written with shintas1st. I suppose this is what happens when you pair two action writers together.

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><p>Superboy could hardly figure out how humans handled all this input. The chatter of the crowd, the smells of various foods - he couldn't even understand half of what the people were saying nor figure out how stinky bean curd could be appetizing - it was almost too much.<p>

"Conner."

He glanced up at his leader's voice. Kaldur was waiting for him while the rest of the team scattered to explore the various brightly colored stalls. There was concern in the Atlantean's silver eyes and he grumbled in response, "Yeah, I heard you."

"Amongst this cacophony?" Kaldur's tone was amused but not in any way teasing. "I find that it becomes more bearable if you focus on one thing, instead of everything at once."

"What one thing?"

Kaldur smiled. "Our guest lecturer, perhaps." He nodded at their youngest teammate who was casually explaining that the so-called 'jellyfish' being served in Chinese restaurants were actually pickled kelp - seaweed - and that the boy doubted real jellyfish would be edible. The sea creatures' toxin levels were among the most fatal in the world.

Conner knew all this, of course. Cadmus had taught him much about the cultures of the most populous nationalities. It was part of the training of being a weapon. But somehow, Robin's patient voice felt more soothing than anything Cadmus did.

He watched and waited as Robin exchanged several words with a pastry - _dimsum_, his Cadmus education supplied - vendor several blocks away from the restaurant. Money traded hands and their teammate came back with a handful of still hot dumplings.

"You're my bestest bud, Rob!" Wally exclaimed, speeding over to meet the younger boy halfway. He grabbed about half of the dumplings when Robin held the rest out of his reach.

"Sorry, KF. You have to share with everyone." Ignoring the speedster's pout, he offered the treats to the others. "I can't lecture you all about Chinese culture without letting you taste the food."

"Oh, thanks Robin!" Megan said brightly, reaching out to examine a piece of dumpling. "What are they?"

"Chinese dumplings. They're seasoned ground meat wrapped in rice flour wrappers and steamed."

Kaldur reached for his share but stared at it dubiously.

"I got the vegetarian kind for you, Kaldur," Robin told him, catching his expression. "No meat in it."

"Ah, my thanks, Robin."

Wally had finished his first (as his usual wont) and threw up his arms in complaint. "Come on, we've been here for hours! Tell me you've made progress on this case." He aimed an earnest look at the younger boy.

Conner knew what he was referring to: Batman had sent them to investigate several Happy Harbour children going missing in the past couple of weeks. They were reported to have disappeared right after a trip to the open-air market in Chinatown and Robin declared that the market would be the place to start investigating.

"It's not exactly progress," Robin said, tossing their empty paper plates to a nearby trash can. "Mr. Cheung said the kidnappings only happened at night-"

"It's reaching nightfall." Megan pointed out, a worried frown on her face.

"-It happened to kids," Robin continued without missing a beat, "kids in their pre-teens or a bit older-"

"Like you." Artemis muttered.

"-And it happened when the kids were alone." Robin paused, his face brightening as though Artemis' words had given him an idea. "Hey!"

"I do not like it." Kaldur shook his head. "It would mean Robin has to be alone-"

"I've been bait before! I can-" Their youngest team member protested.

"I can keep track of everyone as long as you're not out of my range." Megan suggested.

"I've got a tracker on my belt. You guys could-" Robin explained but Wally stepped in.

"I can catch up to whoever the kidnappers are, even if they've got a car!" the speedster suggested enthusiastically. "Can't outrun the fastest kid in the world!"

"Guys-"

"I've got tracer arrows in case the first tracker gets busted." Artemis added. "And Superboy can hear him from far away."

"Guys!"

They all turned to their youngest who was glaring at them with his arms crossed. "You guys talking about me while I'm still here is totally not whelming. At all."

Kaldur dropped his head in apology. "I am sorry, Robin. I was...worried something might happen to you if we use this plan."

Robin waved a hand in dismissal. "Pfft, we're superheroes. Something always happens to us."

"I do not wish any harm-"

"Besides," Robin continued, "I've got you guys for back up. I trust you."

The others turned to stare at their leader, awaiting his final decision. While Robin was often their tactician, it always fell to Kaldur whether they would go with a plan or not. It was part of his responsibilities as team leader.

The Atlantean met their eyes briefly then sighed and nodded, giving Superboy the impression that he was agreeing to this despite his misgivings. Aqualad was only worried for the team, and most of all, he was worried for Robin. Conner decided then that no harm would fall on their youngest if he could help it.


	2. Dick

_You seem to have a destination in mind._ Kaldur's mental voice came to his head.

Robin paused for a half-second before he continued walking. He was down by the harbour overlooking the ocean, sunset painting the water's surface a fiery red. The rest of the team were scattered around him, just out of sight with only M'gann's mental link connecting them to each other. Even though he couldn't see them, it felt reassuring to know they were around to watch his six.

_Mr. Cheung said the kids were passing by the harbour when they were taken. _Robin sent back, mentally reviewing what he knew of the case they were on. Seven or eight kids had been lost somewhere in between the Chinatown market and the closest residential area in town. If they were being taken, this pier and the beach would be the best places to snatch the kids as they went home during nightfall.

He glanced down at his sneakers, peering through the cracks in the wooden planks he walked on. There was a little space between the wood and the water's surface and it was, with the little lighting, black as night. _Could've been something under the docks that grabbed 'em._

_No, I don't believe that's the case._

_What makes you think so?_

_I am underneath the pier. And I don't see anything here other than small fish._

_Where? _Robin crouched and pretended to tie his shoelaces, trying to get a closer look. But all he saw was a splash of water beneath the planks.

_There's nothing here either! _Wally complained from the other end of the harbour. _Are you sure this is where the kids were taken?_

_The kids were last seen headed towards the harbour. _Robin replied, browsing through his mental map of the area. _If there's nothing here, then m__aybe...the beach?_

_I'm there!_Wally's mental link dropped.

_I-I'm sorry! He got out of my range! _Megan was in a near panic.

_Calm down, Ms. M. We'll just catch up to Kid Idiot. _Robin continued walking, this time headed towards the beach. He followed the pier, hugging the coastline for several minutes until his sneakers stepped onto soft sand.

_There's still nothing here!_Wally's voice came again. There was a small cloud of sand in the distance, signalling exactly where the speedster was.

_Stop running around, you idiot! _Flashes of blonde hair meant Artemis was pacing Robin from further up the beach. _You'll give the whole thing away!_

_And Supey isn't with all the mini-quakes he's making when he lands? _Wally retorted.

_I can't fly, _was all Superboy's explanation.

Robin fought off a snicker as he felt Kaldur's weary sigh. _All right. Perhaps the kidnapper isn't striking tonight. We should rest and try again tomorrow._

_Wait! I hear something! _Megan suddenly cried.

_Where?_

_To your...Robin!_

Robin spun around and saw nothing but an empty sandbank and wooden pier. Even the waves were lapping quietly at his back. He was about to send back a reply when he realized the waves weren't supposed to be that quiet.

He whirled - and came to face a towering wall of water. _Oh shi-_

The wave crashed on him, quickly pulling him under. He flailed his arms to grab something, _anything_; but the current was too strong. He couldn't see. He couldn't breathe. But he could think!

_Kaldur! _He mentally shouted as loudly as he could. _A.L.! I need-_

Something struck his head.

His vision filled with stars then faded into darkness...


	3. Kid Flash

Wally ran furrows into the sand, frantically searching for his best friend. Robin's last message kept looping through his head: _Oh shi-_

In the years they'd known each other, Wally hadn't heard Dick curse much - only during baaaaad moments when he knew one or both of them would have more than the usual bruises when they got home from whatever mess they were in. And to hear Robin swear in the middle of an empty beach...

Wait, not empty.

Wally skidded to a halt along the shoreline, eyes darting to and fro. "Kaldur! Come on, Kaldur! Answer me!"

"Did you find him?" Megan floated to his right.

Wally shook his head. "No. Robin's gone, and now Kaldur's missing!"

"Not missing."

They both whipped around to find Superboy straighten from a crouch, their leader's arm over his shoulder.

"Kaldur!" Megan flew towards them and reached for the coughing Atlantean. "Kaldur, are you alright?"

The Atlantean spat out a mouthful of sand. "I'll be fine, Megan. I was merely-"

As soon as Aqualad declared he was fine; Wally was already in his face. "Did you see him? What happened? Where's Rob?"

"Easy, Kid." Kaldur coughed, quickly regaining his footing. "Yes, I saw Robin. And yes, I saw what h-happened," he hacked again and Megan patted his back in concern.

"So, what? What happened? Who took Rob?"

"Not who. What." Aqualad gestured towards the sea. "There was a...tidal wave, the height of an adult. It fell on Robin and swept him away."

"You mean he's somewhere out to sea!" Panic began filling Wally's mind. His best friend was out there, possibly drowning, and he didn't even have any powers to help him and he was only a kid and-

"Quit being a drama queen, Baywatch," Artemis strode in from further up the beach.

"What? Rob's my best friend and you don't give a damn about your own teammate? He could be _dying_out there and-"

The archer held up a finger, interrupting his rant. "Shut it. I only told you to stop panicking. I know where he is."

Silence greeted her statement as everyone stared at her. Then Wally broke it with a screech, "Where!"

In answer, the archer held up a tracking device with a blinking red dot. "He's not very far from here."

"Hello, Megan!" Megan slapped her forehead. "Robin's tracer! I forgot all about it!"

"I didn't." Artemis smirked. "I've been watching it ever since he disappeared. And I don't think he got carried away by any current."

"What do you mean?" Kaldur asked, leaning forward to look at the device's screen.

"If he got snagged by a current, he'd be down south. Instead," she indicated the direction with a finger, "he's been heading further west, parallel to the shoreline. He's being carried inland."

"Then what're we waiting for? Let's get him now!" Wally had barely taken three steps when Supey snagged the collar of his suit. "Hey!"

"Keep your pants on, Kid Impatient." Artemis scolded. "We don't know what we're up against."

"But they've got Rob!"

"And we _will_get him back." Aqualad placed a hand on his shoulder. "But we must be cautious. If they could make a tidal wave do their bidding, then what else can they do?"

"I heard something!" Megan volunteered. "Just before Robin was taken. But it didn't sound like anything I'd heard before."

"More like felt." Superboy said.

They all turned to look at him and he started to fidget. "I-I felt it. Not heard. It was... a minor concussive force."

" 'Concussive force'," Wally repeated thoughtfully, "you mean, like an earthquake? Earthquakes cause tidal waves, right?"

"A manipulator of earth," Aqualad's eyes widened. "Then we must be dealing with at least one metahuman."

"They've stopped." Artemis interrupted. She had turned back to watch the tracker while they discussed what few clues they had.

Aqualad nodded. "We must proceed with caution. M'gann, link us up."

The five of them quickly but stealthily made their way to where Robin's signal came from. The beach remained eerily empty; the recent kidnappings had parents locking their kids at home before night fell. They were the only ones below the age of twenty to still be wandering around the beach. It was almost creepy.

Wally glanced down as they walked, keeping pace with the rest of the team. Aqualad hadn't wanted anyone else to get caught and so ordered that they stay together. Wally bristled at the others' slow pace but reminded himself that they were doing it to rescue his best bud. Maybe if he was more alert earlier, he could've helped Robin from getting kidnapped in the first place - but since it didn't happen that way, he'll just have to hope that Rob's still okay when they reached him.

The trails from his earlier frantic runs littered the beach; some crossing, some running parallel to each other, and some were -

"Hey guys," he paused beside a massive paw print on the sand. It was shaped like a dog's but it was _huge_. Wally had seen bear prints and those were only half the size of this thing's. He pointed it out to the others when they had stepped close.

"It's fresh," Aqualad crouched on the ground, tracing the edges of the print. "The sand hasn't completely dried. Whatever made this must have come from the sea and was only minutes ahead of us."

"Wait a minute," Artemis spotted the next paw print and walked over to follow the trail. "It's going in the same direction as we are."

Wally paled. "Rob."


	4. Robin

It was dark. The place smelled of dust and stale ocean air - and a strange odor of wet dog. The blocky shapes in the darkness proved it wasn't as empty as he suspected.

He shifted to a sitting position. His head pounded, his wrists were bound behind him, as were his ankles, but he could easily slip his hands to his front -

A shadow moved.

He locked his gaze on the flash of movement, feeling his heart beat faster when the shadow stepped into the moonlight streaming in from a broken ceiling.

Wide muzzle curled back to reveal rows of sharpened teeth. Scaled skin that ended in claws. Tufted ears buried in a mass of wet fur. It blinked its yellow eyes open, twin pinpoints of glowing light in the enshrouding blackness.

Dick could hardly believe it. Here was a Chinese myth, alive and walking right in front of him. Here was a _Nian_.

"Child," it spoke in a deep bass voice (Dick didn't know a Chinese myth could _speak_!), "should not walk alone at night."

"It was a nice night, so sue me." Dick held onto his tattered courage. He wasn't going to show that he was scared of a monster, much less a myth. He'd faced _worse_. "So now that you've got me, what _are_you going to do with me?"

The Nian stepped closer. "I _hunger_."


	5. Kaldur

It was a monastery, long abandoned and left to crumble. Kaldur recognized the sweeping arches of the rooftops, the carved figures of various gods and divinities. He had browsed through tons of literature when he first came to the Surface to teach himself of this new world. Among the literature was a book on various world religions. This one resembled the pictures of an Oriental temple.

"Nobody's been here for years." Superboy observed, brushing at the layers of dust with his boot.

"But this is where the signal's coming from. Rob must be somewhere in here." Wally kept shifting from foot to foot, unable to keep still.

They had followed the paw prints until they reached a grassy area above the beach. The trail had faded into the soil and so they had to rely on the tracker the rest of the way. And if this monastery is where the trail ended...

"M'gann," Kaldur murmured, "Can you telepathically search for Robin?"

"Hello, Megan!" The Martian smacked her forehead. "Of course! Give me a second." She shut her eyes and raised her fingers to her temple. Kaldur thought he felt a mental nudge then suddenly, his head filled with red pain.

_Robin!_ _It's us! _Megan cried in her mental voice.

The pain dimmed and Kaldur realized he was clutching his shoulder even though it physically felt fine. _What happened-_

_Guys? _Robin's voice was strained and Kaldur realized the pain came from him! The boy must have been injured sometime during his capture. _Guys! Get over here! And hurry!_

_I'm gone! _Wally took off immediately, kicking up a dust cloud for the rest of the team.

"Kid! Wait!" Kaldur shouted in between bouts of coughing. He waved the dust away from his face but by the time his vision cleared, Wally was gone.

Then Superboy stepped forward. "Robin said hurry," was all he said before he took a leaping bound and was similarly gone.

Aqualad had no other choice but to follow after them, Megan and Artemis bringing up the rear. They passed through hallways that proved too low for Conner's leaping and they caught up with the clone quickly. It didn't take long before the crashing sounds of a fight reached them.

They were in the ruins of an enormous hall; tall pillars stood on either side to support a heavily carved ceiling very high up. Worn down wooden furniture were strewn along behind the pillars as though someone negligently tossed them aside. And Kid Flash was a yellow and red blur racing all over the hall, easily evading swipes from...

Kaldur looked up...and up...at the large monster taking up two-thirds of the hall. Something of its bulk should be slow but its swipes were defiantly fast and powerful. A glancing blow from its paw was enough to shatter a carved figure that lay to one side.

Kid Flash spotted them and switched directions to run over. "About time you guys got here! Quick! Somebody get him down before he loses too much blood!"

"Who-" Kaldur couldn't finish his question. The monster had turned towards them and..._Robin was hanging limply from its mouth._

"Robin!" Megan gasped.

Superboy jumped and clung to the monster's furry neck. It twisted its head left and right, trying to dislodge him and Artemis took the opportunity to shoot an arrow at its shoulder. The arrowhead exploded on impact and the monster roared in pain.

Robin dropped.

"I got you!" Megan caught the boy with a telekinetic bubble, gently lowering him to the ground as Kaldur rushed over.

Vines encircled Robin's wrists and ankles. Kaldur made short work of them with his Atlantean strength. The boy was conscious, his shoulder bleeding heavily from where the monster gripped him. When Kaldur broke the vines from his wrists, he groaned, "What took you so long?"

"We...were following the trail and..."

Robin held up a hand to stop Megan's babble. "Rhetorical question, Ms. M. You didn't have to answer."

"I'm glad you're alright." Kaldur helped Robin sit up as the boy fiddled with his shirt, pausing to moan when he jostled his shoulder. "Let me. What were you reaching for?"

"My utility belt. Got bandages in the third pouch to the left."

Kaldur retrieved the item just as Artemis shouted, "Look out!"

A huge chunk of carved ceiling was falling on them. Megan quickly brought her hands up to form a shield around them, just in time to deflect the lump of stone.

"We need to move away from here." Kaldur ordered, gathering their injured teammate in his arms. He and Megan ran to a nearby alcove that was out of the way of the fight.

Or so he thought.

The monster roared again; but this time, sudden wind answered it.

A powerful gust blew them off their feet. Kaldur tucked his body around Robin as he was thrown to slam into the wall. His back hit first, knocking the wind out of him; but the impact was nothing compared to the tough pressures of the deep ocean and he quickly regained his breath.

M'gann wasn't so lucky.

She hurtled through the air and smashed her head on a pillar. She fell to the ground in an unconscious heap. Kaldur wanted to go check on her but he was still carrying Robin - and a shoulder wound that needs looking after. Aqualad decided to trust that M'gann's Martian body would be resilient enough to shrug off such a hit.

He ducked into the alcove just in time to avoid another blast of wind from the monster.

"It's a wind manipulator," Kaldur realized, remembering that waves can also be caused by strong winds.

"It's a Chinese myth," Robin corrected. "Called a Nian. It's supposed to come out during New Year's Eve to eat kids and supposedly hated the color red. But New Year's isn't for a few months yet so I guess my information might be mistaken..."

"But it is something," Kaldur quickly resumed bandaging Robin's shoulder - he winced inwardly at the deep gashes on the boy's skin. "These myths, they have a basis on facts, correct? It might hold a hidden truth that will help us against this Nian."

"Are you hoping your red shirt's gonna help?" Robin joked.

Kaldur remained silent, going through all the facts in his mind. Aside from Wally, he had the most red in his uniform and if the Nian hated the color, he might be able to draw its attention away from the others. Wally was too quick to be caught and would only serve to frustrate the beast. And he had his water bearers to keep it busy...

Bandages done, Kaldur rose to his feet. "Stay here," he told Robin, then ran off to help his teammates.

"Kaldur, wait!" Robin's voice called but he ignored it. He wasn't going to allow an already injured teammate to fight against the monster, much less their youngest member.


	6. Aqualad

The fight wasn't going well, as far as Aqualad could see.

Kid Flash was running in a space growing ever smaller with all the debris being thrown at him. And Superboy's wrecking weren't helping any. Half of Artemis' shots were evaded and the other half only made the beast more furious.

Aqualad jumped right into the fight, his water bearers forming whips that he used to entangle a paw about to flatten Superboy. He leaped back and allowed the clone to take a flying punch up the Nian's jaw. The Nian stumbled back, and opened its mouth to let out another roar.

Aqualad moved to dive out of the way but the roar's resulting quake proved too shaky for proper footing. His foot twisted and he landed on a pile of wooden debris that had been building up during the fight. There was a crack above him and another chunk of the carved ceiling gave way to land on top of him, effectively pinning him.

Another crash to his left revealed Wally in the same predicament. The Nian roared again and Superboy reeled into view, clutching at his ears. The Nian grabbed him and threw him towards Artemis where they were both quickly buried in rubble.

The Nian loomed over Aqualad. "Children," It spoke with an Oriental accent, "should be seen, not heard."

The monster leaned close. Then it blew its rank breath in his face. Aqualad coughed and turned his head away, then he felt something ice cold grip his throat. He opened his mouth to yell - and nothing came out. The beast had bound his voice!

"You let my meal escape," the Nian continued, its clawed fist shot forward to grab him. "And I _still hunger_."

The creature began pulling him close, ignoring his struggles to break free. Its grip was crushing his arms to his sides. His bespelled throat couldn't even draw surface air. In the back of his mind, he was glad their youngest wasn't there to join them.

"Eat this!"

A black boot slammed into the beast's face.

Its hold loosened and Kaldur dropped to the ground in a heap. His arms, nearly crushed as they were, couldn't catch him.

Beside him, Kid Flash alternately panted and vibrated as he tried to break free, but the rubble over him was too heavy for a speedster.

And over them...

Robin flitted about like a small bird. He was wearing his uniform now, and had foregone his inherent grace in favor of moving. He was flipping and cartwheeling everywhere, his body in constant movement as he avoided the beast's roaring wind. His cape would fly open whenever a blast got too close. And all the while his laughter rang throughout the ruined hall.

Robin was... _enjoying this_.

Aqualad could hardly believe it. A few minutes ago, Robin had been injured and weakened from blood loss. And now - Kaldur narrowed his eyes, seeing the boy's arrested swings as though his shoulder still pained him - now, Robin was doing what he does best: fly without powers.

Kaldur strained again at his unresponsive arms, fearing for their youngest member. As leader, it fell to him to plan the best way to complete the mission _and _finish it unscathed.

Robin was their youngest, their smallest, and he was previously injured.

He could feel his own magic rushing through his arms, could almost feel his tattoos glowing, and then - it felt like hitting a wall. The ice around his throat had spread to his arms. He glanced down and saw that the icy sensation came from a yellow vine that wrapped around him. Energy thrummed through the vine - he could feel it running counter against his own energy. His magic was blocked.

Robin had been manoeuvring steadily closer, albeit in a haphazard way, while he railed against the blockage. The boy would cartwheel forwards then back-flip, roll left then leap up to swing over the beast's head.

Kaldur was inwardly screaming. It was so obvious the boy was aiming for the rest of the team. All the beast had to do was wait for the boy to get close and sooner or later he'd get hit!

Aqualad didn't anticipate the batarang flung towards him.

He ducked as much as he was able, but the weapon wasn't aimed at him. Rather, it was aimed at the vine that bound him.

In a second, he was free.

"AL!" Robin shouted to him from the top of a pillar. "Get KF!"

Aqualad shook off the remaining sluggishness from his arms and grabbed his water bearers. There was no need to acknowledge Robin's instructions. Aqualad had learned to put faith in the younger boy's plans even years before Cadmus. He willed the enchanted water to form a mace and he swung at the wreckage covering Wally. Once the speedster was free, Kid Flash zoomed past him to help Robin distract the beast. Aqualad moved on to assist Superboy and Artemis.

He had barely reached them when Superboy burst out of the pile, flinging away the wooden debris that snagged at his clothes. He glanced back at Artemis - who was lying sheltered in the recess he left behind - turned to meet Kaldur's eyes then roared and leaped at the beast. Kaldur rushed over to the fallen archer.

"The thing crushed my leg." She hissed through clenched teeth. "It doesn't feel broken, but it hurts if I put any weight on it."

Kaldur nodded and bent to lift her. "I will carry you."

"KF! Get Ms. M!" He heard Robin shout.

The yellow-and-red blur streaked by him followed by a "Got her!"

"Artemis! Shoot at the Nian's head!"

Without bothering to be set down, the archer folded out her bow and quickly shot two explosive arrows in succession. The projectiles flew in parallel arcs, bursting when they hit the pillars just above the Nian.

The beast flinched, stepping backwards.

Robin suddenly landed beside them. "Keep shooting, Artemis!" He turned and called out to the others. "Superboy! KF! Over here!"

They all followed after him as Artemis' arrows kept the beast at bay. The hallway was long, but their adrenaline lent speed to their legs and it was only a few minutes later they ended up in a corridor that led to...a courtyard.

It was a courtyard in the middle of the monastery, so thick walls surrounded the open space. Sparse weeds grew despite the neatly layered stones covering the ground. And above, the moon shone down, softly lighting the yard.

As soon as everyone was clear of the doorway, Robin whirled on Superboy. "Block the entrance!"

The clone jumped up to punch the top of the door, reducing it to rubble that effectively blocked the way.

Safe for the moment, Robin gracelessly fell on his butt. "That...should buy us...some time." he panted.

"You okay over there, Rob?" Wally came over to sit beside him.

The younger boy nodded wearily. "Adrenalin shot...wearing off."

"You mean, you were doped the whole time you were flipping around?" Wally was incredulous.

"...Had to. Shoulder's...too stiff..."

Kaldur followed their gazes to the boy's shoulder. Bandages peeked out of the black sleeve of his uniform, stained red from his exertions. Kaldur hadn't tied it tight enough to be immobile.

"Now what do we do?" Superboy crossed his arms over his chest. "That thing's still chasing us. And it'll just climb out again if we bury it like we did to Blockbuster."

"Robin, you know of the myth," Kaldur crouched in front of the boy. "Does it mention any of the Nian's weaknesses?"

"Nian? That's what the thing is?" Wally snorted. "That's really lame."

"Shut up, Lamebrain!" Artemis slapped him on the head.

"Make me, Arrowbreath!"

"It's a Chinese myth." Robin interrupted. "It comes out during New Year's Eve to eat kids."

" 'Eat'?" The moonlight was enough to show Wally's eyes widening in horror.

"Uhm...then these must be the...missing children..." Megan's small voice reached them. She was hovering over a hole in the courtyard, right beside a large block of displaced stone. Her green skin was paler than normal so the rest of the team walked/hobbled/limped over to peer into the hole - Wally immediately backed up, dropping Robin's arm from his shoulders, and sped to a corner to throw up. Artemis was looking as green as he is, which was a shade almost resembling M'gann's.

Robin however, fell to his knees and bent to take a closer look.

"Gross, Rob! Do you have to inspect it?" Wally complained from a distance but Robin kept examining the hole.

"Whoa..." Robin suddenly pitched forward. Superboy snagged the boy's collar just in time to keep him from falling into the hole himself.

"Are you alright?" Kaldur asked, watching with concern as Robin raised a shaky hand to his head.

"Yeah, just got a little dizzy." He slowly stood with Superboy's help but even Kaldur could notice the boy's trembling legs. The boy must be suffering a mild concussion along with blood loss if he was this weak. "Forensics will have to confirm it but," he nodded grimly, "yeah, those could be the bones of the missing kids. Looks like the Nian's our kidnapper."

"And it almost...you nearly..." If it was possible, Wally paled even further. "Don't ever get yourself kidnapped by a myth again!"

"That's what you guys are for, right? To watch my back?" Robin grinned.

The Nian chose that moment to roar. Its bellow reverberated past the wall of rubble, dislodging several small rocks. A second howl pushed more rocks off the wall.

"It'll break past the wall soon!" Artemis pushed herself to stand on one leg, folding out her bow.

"I don't know of any weaknesses," Robin admitted. "I only know it hates loud noises and the color red. Those're why the Chinese have fireworks and wear red during New Year's Eve, so they could drive away the Nian."

"Don't you have explosives in your belt?" Superboy demanded, already facing the rubble with his fists clenched.

"Not enough."

"I'm almost out of them, too." Artemis added.

"Hey, guys!" Wally waved at them from his corner. "I think I found something."

It was a carved statue, fallen on its side by a long-ago earthquake. And it was of a creature Kaldur had never seen. It had a stout muzzle, bulging eyes, a curly mane; its legs ended in sharp claws and the whorls on its body are representative of...

"...scales?" Kaldur asked out loud.

"That," Robin declared dropping to his knees beside the Atlantean, "is a statue of a Nian."

Everyone stared at him, at the statue, and the howling beast trapped in the monastery.

"It's supposed to look like that?" Wally threw his arms up in disbelief. "How come we got _that_," he pointed in the direction of the beast, "instead of _this_?" he waved both hands at the statue.

As if in response, the Nian roared again. The resulting vibration caused a small part of the statue to fall.

"That's not part of the statue." Robin said. Kaldur followed his gaze to a small, green stone. It had fallen off the effigy and upon closer inspection, revealed that it was a piece of rounded jade. A hole had been drilled in its middle and a crack ran down one side.

But what was most surprising, is the trickle of energy Kaldur could feel from it.

"This isn't a normal jade-" he began, but Robin cut him off.

"You're telling me! Vivid emerald jade stones aren't that common. This must have come from someone's bracelet or something."

"Why?"

"Because, real jade is expensive; emerald-green jades even more so. Someone must have entered this place wearing that, and it must have broken off by accident before they left."

The energy from the stone pulsed.

The Nian howled and this time, the rubble blocking the entrance exploded.

Robin cursed, rushing to his feet. "We're out of time!" He wobbled and would have fallen if not for Megan's catching him.

Kaldur glanced back down to the stone in his hand, then to the oncoming beast. He remembered how the energy pulsed just before the Nian roared, and he could still feel energy leaking from the stone towards...

The stone pulsed again and he shouted, "Get down!"

Everyone dropped just in time for the Nian to miss hitting them with its howl. The courtyard shook at its wake.

Kaldur immediately got to his feet. He knew what to do now.

"Superboy!" He tossed the stone to the clone. "Crush it! Now!"

The beast stalked towards them.

"Children should behave." It growled.

Superboy mashed the jade stone between his palms.

Kaldur felt the burst of power like a strong wave. The released energy gushed throughout the courtyard, invisible. The Nian paused from taking another step...

...then crumbled into dust.


	7. Wally

A/N: End of the fic! Man, took longer than planned lol. Hope you enjoyed reading it.

* * *

><p>"You mean that little stone made the statue come alive?" Wally could hardly believe it. He had been thinking a long-hidden deep sea creature or lab experiment gone wrong, not a...a thing made by magic - or whatever they call magic, which doesn't exist.<p>

"It was a special stone," Kaldur explained as they walked towards the med bay. "It felt like my water bearers: energy humming inside, waiting for the right person to guide its course."

"And the Nien thing was the right person?"

"I believe it's _Nian_and no," Kaldur shook his head. "Whoever owned the jade stone most probably didn't mean for the stone to break off. It must have been hit hard enough to form a crack where the energy started leaking into the statue."

"And the thing was hungry enough to go after the town's kids." Wally's voice lowered in sadness. "Man, those poor kids. Glad I'm not the one to break the news to their parents."

"It is a sad duty," Kaldur agreed. "But while I grieve for the lives lost, I rejoice for the lives that still remain."

Wally grinned, his steps becoming lighter as they neared the med bay. "Yeah, you're right. I've still got my best bud. And blondie's already gone home to rest her busted ankle. We can play _Contact Point_all night!"

Kaldur paused in his stride, "About that, Wally. Batman ordered Robin to take an early night's rest while he recovers. I'm afraid you two can only play for a few minutes at best."

"Aw, man!"


End file.
